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Thursday, June 14, 2012

MEMPHIS—Michael Shane Sinnock, age 37,
of Memphis, Tennessee, pled guilty to attempted possession of a controlled
substance with intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, announced
United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III; Special Agent in Charge of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Memphis Division, Aaron T. Ford; and Memphis
Police Director Toney Armstrong.

According to the indictment filed in
U.S. District Court, and the statement of facts made by Assistant United States
Attorney Brian K. Coleman to U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson, on
December 16, 2011, Sinnock, a Memphis Police officer, arranged for the purchase
of 20 Loritab tablets from an informant known to the government. Upon meeting
the informant in the parking lot of Eastgate Shopping Center, Sinnock bought
what he believed to be Loritab while on duty, driving his patrol car, and in
uniform. Upon arrest by special agents and task force officers of the Tarnished
Badge Task Force, Sinnock was found with a clear plastic bag containing 20
pills in his uniform pants pocket.

Sinnock will appear before U.S. District
Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson for sentencing on September 13, 2012 at 10:00
a.m. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

“The citizens of our community place
great trust in law enforcement officers and the oath conferred upon them to
serve and protect,” said Edward L. Stanton, III, United States Attorney for the
Western District of Tennessee. “Hiding behind his Memphis Police Department
badge, Sinnock’s outrageous criminal conduct can only be described as a brazen
abuse of the public’s trust. Fighting public corruption remains a top priority
for our office, and we will continue to bring to justice those law enforcement
officers who disgrace the integrity of their oath.”

“When officers break the law they swear
to uphold, they undermine the public’s confidence, and the damage they cause
cannot be overstated,” said Aaron T. Ford, Special Agent in Charge of the
Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “This plea is the
result of hard work by the FBI and our law enforcement partners, and we will
continue to aggressively identify, investigate, and put forward for prosecution
those individuals who would betray the public’s trust.”

“This is a person who was privileged
enough to be afforded the opportunity to serve this community as a police
officer,” said Toney Armstrong, Memphis Police Director. “However, he made the
decision to dishonor his badge and become a drug dealer. He has been given due
process and now has made the decision to plead guilty. No one is above the
law.”

This case is being investigated by the
Tarnished Badge Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and Shelby County
Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney Brian K. Coleman on behalf of the federal government.